


Words I Want to Hear

by flannelfeelings



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Early Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Menstruation, Periods, S3, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26386285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/flannelfeelings
Summary: Amy has an unfortunate incident during one of her early sleepovers with her new boyfriend Jake.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 15
Kudos: 186





	Words I Want to Hear

**Author's Note:**

> Alright y'all...I was in the mood for some pointless fluff! This is literally zero point just venting my feelings into these two. this might be a hot take but I just know Jake is the most supportive, sweet boyfriend when it comes to periods. I said what I said. 
> 
> sorry for any mistakes it's unbeta'd and only read by my tired 10PM eyeballs
> 
> Please enjoy and lmk your thoughts!

Amy awoke with a sinking feeling. There was a sixth sense of sorts that she figured every person with a uterus got- an ominous awareness that something unpleasant was to come. She was hoping to never have this feeling in her new boyfriend’s bed after one of their first nights together, but she’d never had the best luck.

Amy glanced behind her at Jake’s sleeping frame. This was only the sixth night they’d shared together after their first date and she was already discovering some little things about Jake Peralta behind the curtain, or outside of the precinct. She had a list cultivating in her head.

  1. _Tips the pizza delivery guy really well and makes him laugh with stupid pizza puns_
  2. _Puts the toilet paper on the holder the wrong way_
  3. _Snores like a steamboat pulling into the harbor_
  4. _Drools all over his pillow but in a cute way_
  5. _Loves bubble baths but it’s a secret_
  6. _Somehow (even when the fridge is empty) always has a full bottle of barbecue sauce_
  7. _Calls his mom every Thursday night_
  8. _On a first-name-basis with the churro vendor on his block_
  9. _Has a weathered shoebox of cherished keepsakes underneath his bed_



The list was coming along decently, but Amy really didn’t want to add “has red stained bedsheets” for number ten.

She shifted uncomfortably, debating if she could grab her bag and make it to the bathroom quiet enough to not wake him. He was a pretty light sleeper, she’d accidentally woken him up a few times with her tiny book light.

Amy decided she had no choice but to go for it. She slid out from her spot on the bed slowly, checking to make sure she hadn’t left any unseemly stains on his gray sheets. At a quick glance it appeared clean. Jake shifted in his sleep, grumbling unintelligibly at her sudden absence, but he didn’t awaken. Amy crossed the room and snatched her bag before disappearing into the bathroom.

Once she was behind the closed bathroom door she let out a small sigh of relief and got to taking care of business. Sadly, her underwear had not survived the unpleasantness of a sudden, unexpected period.

Amy always came prepared. She had an extra pair of underwear and a plethora of tampons and pads in her bag. She took her time, using the baby wipes from her bag (she preferred them to makeup wipes, more gentle) to clean up her inner thighs and got herself a little more put together. Her old underwear was wadded up and stuffed in the bottom of the trash can, and she made a mental note to take the bag out to the dumpster with the rest of their cleaning tasks today.

By the time she was cleaned up and ready to head back out into the bedroom, the cramps had started to kick in. Amy usually struggled with pretty bad cramps, it was her own personal cross to bear. She managed it with a constant stream of painkillers and a heating pad, and would just try to power through it on her workdays.

Luckily she was off today, but she hadn’t brought her usual stash of ibuprofen and midol, so she hoped Jake had something good. It was doubtful that he had a heating pad, so she’d have to make do.

Amy stepped back out into the bedroom and balked a bit as she noticed Jake was up and just re-entering the bedroom. He wore a pair of gray sweats and nothing else, just as he’d fallen asleep. His dark hair was disheveled, and he was still rubbing dreams out of his brown eyes. His shirtless torso was looking rather tanned in the morning sunlight streaming in, the wiry chords of muscles decorating his arms and chest prominent as he stretched out the nighttime kinks. 

“Good morning.” Amy greeted him, trying to keep her tone as casual as possible.

“Hey babe.” he offered her a small wave and grabbed his phone off the nightstand, squinting at the bright hue of the screen.

Amy’s eyes wandered to the bed, and she noticed the sheets and pillowcases had been stripped off. She glanced back at Jake curiously.

“Why’d you strip the bed?” she asked, a bit of panic swelling in her chest that maybe she’d missed a stain on the sheets that he had noticed.

Jake showed her the notes app on his phone, where the word **“LAUNDRY”** was number 1 on their to-do-list for today. Amy had put it together for them since they finally had a day off with nothing to do but get his apartment somewhat straightened up before their plans to go out for lunch.

“Oh.” She nodded with relief.

“How’d you sleep?” Jake asked as he headed for his closet and began hunting around for a t-shirt.

“Good.” Amy answered casually, “You?”

Jake shrugged, re-entering the room with his torso clad in an NYPD tee, “I had a dream that Hitchcock and I were chaperoning a prom. It was weird.”

Amy shuddered, “I’m pretty sure Hitchcock isn’t allowed around high schools.”

Jake shook his head, “And on that note! Want some breakfast?”

“Sounds great.”

Amy followed him through the halls, the cold mahogany floors creaking beneath their bare feet. Jake stopped at the thermostat on the way to the kitchen to crank the heat up, and Amy realized she was still only wearing a big t-shirt and her underwear. She hoped he wouldn’t notice she’d changed her panties.

It wasn’t that Amy was ashamed or necessarily embarrassed, periods were a normal part of life, and it was part of dating someone who had a uterus. She was pretty sure Jake knew that.

But...after her experience with Teddy, Amy was reluctant to broach the subject. Whenever she mentioned it to Teddy, or expressed a desire to stay in due to cramps, Teddy got...weird. He acted like it was contagious, and preferred to leave her alone until the week was over. She had to admit; it was hurtful.

Amy was afraid of that happening with Jake. She liked him so much...she didn’t want anything to screw it up before they had a real shot.

Jake’s voice interrupted her introspection, as he asked, “Pancakes, Ames?”

Although she didn’t have much of an appetite with the way her cramps were rearing its ugly head, she didn’t want to alert him to anything off. Besides, Jake had a gift for homemade pancakes. It was a surprising, but certainly not unwelcome trait.

“That sounds great babe.” She agreed, “Do you need any help?”

Jake glanced at her hesitantly, and Amy knew he was debating whether or not to accept her invitation. It was no secret that she was a disaster in the kitchen, and more likely to be a detriment than a help.

“I’ll just watch.” Amy assured him with a small smile. Amy curled up on one of the stiff kitchen chairs and watched Jake putter around the small kitchen putting together the ingredients.

There was something so intentional, gentle and intimate about watching Jake prepare food. It was like the care he took with work: cautious, deliberate and calculated. Unlike in most of his personal endeavors, he seemed to take cooking decently seriously. He had a formula to follow, and with all of his attention on that it was not likely he’d mess it up. His tensed, calloused hands stirred with efficiency, his forearms held even the largest bowl he owned with ease, and he offered her a small, toothy smile as he mixed.

It was fair to say Amy was the most smitten she’d ever been. Peralta was turning out to be so much more than she ever could’ve imagined.

Amy watched him ladle out the batter on to the stovetop, eyes focused on measuring out the perfect portion to have an evenly shaped pancake. His tongue came out just a bit between his lips as he delicately poured to his exact specifications.

“I like watching you cook.” Amy told him, breaking the comfortable silence.

Jake looked at her with a bit of surprise, quirking an eyebrow up inquisitively, “This fulfills some sort of house-husband fantasy? I’m fine with that.”

Amy snorted, shaking her head, “Of course there’s that. But I just mean...you do it with such care. It’s nice.”

“Well I’m not in the business of serving up turds.” Jake admitted, “I like to eat things that taste good.”

“I never knew you could cook.” Amy said, wrapping her arms around her knees, which were tucked up against her chest in an effort to quell the cramping pain in her middle, “You always made it seem like you were a takeout-only bachelor type.”

Jake turned back to the stove, shrugging nonchalantly as he nursed the pancake with a spatula, “I am, most of the time.”

“So what changed?”

He paused for a moment, shoulders tensing just the slightest bit, before they relaxed and he replied without looking at her, “Feels like you deserve better than that.”

Amy frowned curiously, looking at his back, “What?”

Jake still didn’t turn to face her, and she figured he wouldn’t. He still wasn’t the most comfortable with real talks, “I dunno...I would rather feed you something homemade than some fast food crap.” he shrugged again, still not looking at her, “What’s with the third degree, Santiago? Can’t a guy make some flapjacks without there being some ulterior motive?”

Amy felt a small smile creasing her expression at his reluctant admission. Whether he wanted her to take it seriously or not, she knew what he was trying to say. He wanted to feed her something made with _love._

He really was a mushy sonofabitch. She liked that about him.

Amy rose slowly from the chair and closed the distance between them until her arms were wrapped around his waist, and she rested her head in the dip between his shoulder blades. Jake let out a contented breath, one hand still flipping the pancakes while the other wrapped around his back awkwardly to pat her head.

“Nice having you hanging off me like an octopus.” Jake said quietly.

“It’s nice hanging off you.” Amy muttered into his shirt.

“Food’s ready.” He replied, “Let me serve you.”

Amy took a seat and allowed Jake to serve her breakfast. He poured her a glass of orange juice and set the plate of pancakes in front of her, piled high with syrup and some strawberries he’d grabbed out of the fridge. Warmth bloomed in her chest when she noticed the strawberries were arranged in the shape of a heart on top of the pancakes.

Yeah, he was definitely super mushy. She didn’t say anything though, she knew it would make him get all embarrassed and weird.

The pancakes did look perfect, fluffy and golden brown and smelled sweet with syrup and butter. But the cramps currently tangling up Amy’s insides were not conducive to a hearty appetite. She picked at the plate with her fork, trying to muster up the fortitude to shove a bite in her mouth.

Jake was already working on his, and glanced up at her with slight concern, “Do they not look right?” He asked unsurely. Amy could hear the hesitant self-doubt in his voice, and she felt incredibly guilty for making him feel that way.

“They look amazing.” she assured him and stuffed a bite in her mouth. They tasted pretty great, but it took all of her energy to chew and swallow the bit she’d taken in. She just wished she could grab some painkillers without setting him off.

“They taste great babe.” Amy said truthfully.

“Okay…” Jake nodded, glancing back at his own plate before taking another bite. He seemed to sense something was a little bit askew, but he probably didn’t want to pry.

Amy picked up another forkful of pancake and took a bite, bringing her hand up to smooth over her middle in an effort to settle the rampant pain in her lower abdomen. As unhealthy as it was, she didn’t usually eat much when she was on her period. Her appetite just fell to zero unless she was combating the cramps with medication and other methods.

Jake noticed her hand move out of the corner of his eye, and glanced over at her worriedly, “Hey, you okay?”

Amy smiled quickly, though she couldn’t bring herself to whip the hand off of her middle, “I’m good.”

Jake nodded a few times in response, though he seemed unconvinced. He put another bite of pancake in his mouth, then swallowed hard, and turned back to her, “You know if something is...going on, you can tell me, right?”

Amy hesitated. As much as she wanted to be honest with him and reassure him that she was okay, this was all normal, she felt a deep discomfort. She really didn’t want to relive the Teddy scenario here. What if Jake was just as awkward about it? He wasn’t exactly the poster boy for maturity. He may even be worse than Teddy was.

Though, this was something they’d have to face eventually right? Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she often envisioned herself ending up with Jake. Would they really be able to move forward in their relationship if they weren’t completely open with each other?

Then again, she may ruin this before it even got started. Maybe it was too soon.

“Amy?” Jake prompted worriedly at her silence, “Are you okay?”

Amy snapped out of her over-thinking trance and robotically replied, “Yes! I’m all good.”

Jake sighed gently, setting his fork down on the plate and meeting her eyes with a serious expression. Amy was surprised to see the genuine sincerity in his face, he was pretty facetious most of the time.

“Do you need any painkillers?” He asked carefully, “Or maybe a heating pad? I have one in the medicine cabinet.”

Amy froze at his words, processing what they meant. Did he... _know?_ His expression was gentle and caring, almost as if he knew exactly what was going on. But how could he...-

The sheets.

Oh god.

“I _stained your sheets_?” her voice was a shrill, panicked yelp. Shame and humiliation washed over her as she looked at Jake in horror. She hadn't noticed, she must've missed it. She stained his sheets with blood. 

So much for not ruining this. Her body had already taken care of that for her.

“Don’t worry about it.” Jake shrugged like it was no big deal, “That’s why I have a washer.”

Amy felt like melting into the floor. If there were ever a time for a convenient stroke, this was it. Sadly though, nothing extraordinary happened, and she was left staring at Jake with a horrified, gaping expression. She fought back tears of embarrassment; breaking down would only make this awful situation that much worse.

“I don’t know what to say.” She admitted in a quiet, vulnerable voice, “I am so, _so_ sorry Jake, it wasn’t expected. I-”

“Amy why are you apologizing?” he cut her off with a shake of his head, genuine confusion on his face, “It’s really not a big deal. I’ve spilled orange soda on those sheets like eighteen times. They’re indestructible.”

“But, but I- _bled_ on them!” she squealed, lower lip quivering as she forced herself to remain composed.

He quirked an eyebrow up questioningly, “Do you think I’d be a detective if I was scared of blood?”

Amy blinked a few times, studying his face. His posture was casual, unchanged from the relaxed position he’d been in the entire time they’d been sitting down for breakfast. His expression was genuine, sincere, nonchalant. Jake seemed to be...telling the truth.

But that couldn’t be the case. Jake Peralta had not noticed she’d bled through her underwear on to his sheets, and quietly gathered them up to put in the wash without saying anything, did he? No...no way.

Though...that _was_ how it appeared.

“Why…” Amy paused, shaking her head as if to try and organize her jumbled thoughts, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Jake looked at her like she was crazy, “What exactly was I supposed to say? Congrats on menstruating?”

 _Menstruating?_ Who the hell was this and what did he do with Peralta?!

“I’m...befuddled.” Amy admitted.

Jake tilted his head curiously and gave her his signature shit-eating grin, “Don’t tell me this is your first period, Amy? Even _I_ know that wouldn’t be healthy.”

On instinct, Amy reached out and punched his bicep. Jake grabbed it and yelped playfully, “Why are you abusing me?!”

“Why are you being so...so...perfect?!” Amy demanded, her voice a little angrier than she intended, “I bled all over your sheets!”

Jake threw his hands up in utter disbelief, “I don’t understand what I did wrong! Are you not supposed to wash bloody sheets? Have I made a grotesque laundry error? You know I’m a beginner Amy!”

She couldn’t believe this. Jake was sitting here like it was no big deal, making jokes and...trying to make her feel better. She realized after a moment that he understood how deeply humiliating this must be for her, and he was just trying to lighten the mood. He was trying to let her know that it was okay, and he wasn’t gonna freak out. He wasn’t afraid of the real stuff. He wasn’t Teddy. He was Jake.

And he was pretty amazing.

“Thank you.” Amy said softly, her voice calming to a small, awed tone, “I am really really sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize.” Jake said, “It’s life, babe. I get it. I mean, I know I’ll never fully _get_ it, uh, that isn’t what I meant. I just mean…” he sighed, shaking his head, “I’m here for you, okay?”

“You really don’t know how much that means to me.” Amy responded sincerely, looking at him with so much affection she felt like it was leaking out of her every pore.

Jake waved his hand dismissively, “Seriously dude, it’s kinda my job. We’re partners now, right?”

Amy smirked, “We already were partners, detective.”

Jake paused, then rolled his eyes, “Nevermind. I’ve decided I’m not only going to be unsupportive, I’m also dumping you.”

“Nooo!” Amy moved from her chair and wrapped her arms around Jake’s neck, “I like being your girlfriend.”

“I like being your boyfriend.” Jake told her with a quick peck to the nose, “My sheets are undecided on the relationship.”

Amy fake-gasped, “Too soon!”

“Aw c’mere.” Jake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. One of his palms cradled her lower back tightly, and the other came to rest on her belly. He met her eyes, and his gaze was so tender and sweet it made Amy’s heart flutter.

“So the cramps thing is true huh?” He asked.

“Oh it’s true.” Amy replied with a grimace, “I’m an unlucky one. They’re pretty bad.”

Jake frowned, “That sucks. What’s it feel like?”

“It’s probably different for everyone.” Amy explained, “For me it’s like a cheese grater on my insides.”

A shudder ran up his spine, and he said, “I’ve never been more grateful to have a dick.”

“There hasn’t been _any_ other time you were happy to have it?” She asked teasingly.

“You better be careful Santiago,” Jake warned, “I’ll throw you in that bedroom right now and we can stain the mattress too.”

“You are _too_ comfortable now!” Amy snorted out a laugh, but she was secretly really grateful that he was so easy going about it.

“Why don’t you go post up on the couch and I’ll grab you some painkillers and the heating pad?” Jake offered, “Doesn’t seem like you’re super hungry.”

“Sorry,” Amy apologized softly, “The pancakes really are good.”

“No sorries.” Jake scolded her sweetly, “Move it, I’ll be there in a sec.”

Amy climbed off of his lap clumsily and crossed the apartment to go flop down on the couch. She curled up on her side, knees tucked up into her middle again, which was a favored position whenever she was dealing with bad cramps.

She couldn’t believe the turn this morning had taken. It went from one of the most unpleasant ones she’d had in a while, to a pretty great breakthrough in her relationship.

Jake returned from the kitchen with a glass of ice water in one hand, and a few pills in the other, with a heating pad tucked under his elbow. He held them out to her.

“Thank you.” Amy took the pills and downed them with water, sighing in relief as she readied herself for some sort of medication to take hold and ease the pain. Jake knelt down beside the couch and plugged the heating pad in, handing it to her. Amy took it gratefully and curled it up against her middle, breathing out contentedly.

“Scooch.” Jake ordered as he climbed on to the couch behind her.

Amy shuffled forward a bit and felt him lay down beside her, his body pressing into her back. She felt his face touch the back of her neck, his mouth leaving small, gentle kisses on the exposed skin there. His arms wrapped around her waist, one of his hands resting over her middle on top of the heating pad, the other tucked underneath her neck. He breathed out softly, seeming to settle into the position with ease.

It felt so nice to have someone here with her, holding her, comforting her, wrapping her up in his arms without even having to ask. This was normally a time where she felt pretty alone, stranded and self-reliant and uncomfortable. But right now, she’d never felt more cared for. She didn’t feel gross and unpleasant, she felt loved and protected.

“Let's skip our plans today.” Jake murmured softly into her hair, “I’m comfy.”

“You sure?” Amy asked quietly, “You’re not...bored?”

His laugh was quiet and sweet in her ear, “Don’t be crazy. I’m with you.”

“Jake?” Amy’s voice was a near whisper.

“Yeah babe?”

She hesitated, unsure if she should say what she was thinking. He really wasn’t good with the real talks. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable when she was already so indebted to him for his kindness today. Still, she gently said, “Thank you. I’m really, really lucky to be with you. You’re a pretty amazing guy.”

“I’m sorry that the bar is so low.” Jake murmured back, voice a bit teasing. Then, he sighed softly, and his voice grew more serious, “For realz though, Amy. There isn’t anything too…” he paused before continuing, “I want to be with you, and everything that entails, okay? All those nights I stayed up thinking about being with you, it wasn’t just the pretty fantasies. It was all the real stuff. There isn’t anything that’s too much, okay? For you the sky's the limit.”

Amy blinked awed tears out of her eyes, and replied in a shaky voice, “I’m really glad you kissed me in the evidence room.”

“Me too.” Jake responded, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck once more.

They stayed there for most of the day. Jake cradled Amy in his arms, only stopping to make them lunch or change the movie. He held her and rubbed her belly and kissed her cheek and murmured sweet nothings to her. He never got bored, he never asked to take a break, he never did anything but focus on making her feel as good as possible.

And Amy decided she needed to add one more thing to her growing list of things she was learning about Jake each day.

_**10.** There is no other man on Earth quite like Jake Peralta._

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is boopernatural If you feel like sending in a request!


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